Even before the spot where Chandrayaan-3's Vikram landed was named ‘The Power of Love’, long before, in fact, twenty centuries before, there were at least two spots on this Earth which deserved to be named so. “Siva Sakthi” is ‘the power of love ‘ when translated from Tamil, the first language of mankind.
The Almighty God is Love. Jesus is love embodied. He is the image of the invisible God; For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; He is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of God’s person. He was born of the Holy Spirit from the womb of virgin Mary. The Spirit of God indwelt Him all His life.
(1) Calvary or Kapala sthalam
The one true God Almighty so loved the world that He gave Himself on the cross in His Son Jesus Christ as ransom for the sin of the entire humanity. Calvary was the spot on earth where Jesus paid the price for every sinner. By shedding His blood on behalf of the perishing mankind, God demonstrated His undemanding love for us. Being God, death could not have a hold on Jesus. He was raised by God's eternal Spirit on the third day. His resurrection was the exhibition of the almighty power of God. Inarguably, Calvary deserves to be named Sivasakthi point. However, Jesus Himself is the person through Whom God's love was demonstrated powerfully. He deserves this name more than a mere geographical spot.
We sinners who deserve the punishment of death in hell and unending separation from the Holy God, can be saved. We can receive eternal life to live with Him forever. All we need to do is to believe in the Savior, come to Him repenting of our sinful lifestyle, plead with Him for forgiveness of our sins, and receive this Life. There is no need for change of religion or name. A change of heart is essential. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Such a transformation results in a God-pleasing lifestyle.
Perversion of God's person and it's effects
Satan, the enemy of God, perverted the worship of the one true God by injecting a lie. He introduced the worship of a female deity, forcing people to believe that the femininity principle has an upper hand over life, even above the masculinity exhibited by a god. This brought to existence the goddess alongside the god worshipped by sinful people.
The Dev-Devi, Purusha-Prakriti and the Shivalinga and the Yoni base are mentionable in Hinduism. People worshipped a tree stump protruding from the ground as the life principles. The thripund / the naamam, symbolic of the two complementary forces is worn on the forehead by its adherents. (The truth behind these and their sensual perversion by the Devil are explained elsewhere in this website).
Sometimes, the Mother goddess worship superseded (and excluded) the worship of a male deity. Indus valley civilization which has been proven to be of the Thamizhar (by Dr.Balakrishnan IAS) is well known for the practice of worshiping of such a female deity. Its name Amman is also derived from Ammon of a middle eastern religion which was brought in to the Indus valley by its worshippers.
(2) The upper room in Jerusalem
It was the fiftieth day after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and ten days after His glorification. A hundred and twenty believers in the Lord had gathered in an upper room in suburban Jerusalem. It included twelve of Jesus‘s disciples and most probably His mother Mary too. They had come together as per the Lord’s command to them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, you have heard of me.
But You shall receive power (sakthi), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.
The love (Sivam) of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
On that day of Pentecost (fiftieth day) they were all filled with the Holy Ghost / Holy Spirit. The power of God enabled the disciples to stand up boldly as witnesses to testify about the love of God that was demonstrated in the promised Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly, geographically, this upper room in Jerusalem also qualifies for being named Sivasakthi point. However, each of the hundred and twenty was so filled with the love of God that every one of them courageously departed from this spot to preach with power to the whole world the message of the cross. Truly, the believers of the Lord Jesus Christ are the Sivasakthi points wherever they are. Peter started, others including Paul carried on, and here we are, fulfilling the responsibility placed on our shoulders in reaching out even to the end of the world with this powerful message of love.
If you are a believer already, please continue reading this article…
Every believer needs two essentials in order to be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. (1) Love (2) Power. Both coexist. There cannot be one without the other.
One can’t say I have abundant love in my heart for not only my loved ones but for even my enemies; however I am afraid to share the gospel of Jesus with them; they might think that I am a timid and opinionated person.
Another person can’t stand and testify vigorously and courageously for Jesus with little or no love in heart for the hearers who are perishing and rushing towards hell, a Godless eternity.
This is the reason why the Lord instructed His disciples to wait. They needed a permanent indwelling of God in their hearts in order to accomplish the globally significant task ahead of them. God the Holy Spirit would empower them to carry out this solemn mandate handed over to them by their Lord Himself. He would fill them with both the essentials – love and power.
Today, you don’t have to wait. The Holy Spirit is given to us when we are born again, because Jesus is already glorified. When He comes in as your life, the Holy Spirit upon Him also comes in. All you need is to submit your whole life – spirit , soul, and body – to Him. Then He will fill you from head to toe and take full control of your entire being. (This might be an experience that comes subsequent to the first). This is the baptism of the Spirit.
Do not be fooled by modern preachers! And, speaking in tongues is not the evidence for this baptism. Overflowing love is the true sign of filling of the Spirit. And the urge to evangelize is the surest outcome of this love. Jesus said so. This love persuades, compels, and constrains the believers to “be witnesses unto me (Jesus) both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”.
So, believers can’t keep quiet. They cannot keep the love of God shut inside them. They won’t be bogged down by individuals or threatened by governments. They will always want to share it with people around them. They will also have the courage to openly testify for their Lord, even if it would cost them their lives.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now, it is time for reflection.
Do our neighbors know the good news of Salvation?
Do my colleagues know the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Have my loved ones tasted the love of God in their lives?
Are my classmates aware of the new life I have received from my Savior?
No, I am not asking you whether you have handed over a gospel tract to them. No, I am not trying to find out if you have been praying for them. No, I am not talking about your presenting a Bible or a New Testament to them on a special occasion.
Forwarding a WhatsApp message is not witnessing. Copy-pasting a video message link in Instagram is not testifying. Liking a YouTube video is not ministry. Contributing money to a TV or video channel is not evangelism. Leading a spiritual discussion in Facebook is not preaching God’s word. Sending out a monthly offering (most of the time, from your abundance) to support a missionary is not mission work. Feeding the poor, attending to the sick, and doing hundred other socially commendable works minus the gospel are not acts of Godly love.
And, nobody will believe your message, whether it is original or copy-pasted, if the truth does not reflect in your life. None will even give you an ear if what they see in your life and hear from your mouth is not in sync with the truth you preach.
Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit? Have you received power to love perishing fellow-beings? Does love’s power gush out of you? Are you a sivasakthi point? Hurry up! We don't have enough time.